A paid Telegram group or Groupanda for your private community
What Telegram lets you charge for, how the money reaches you, and where Telegram is the better choice.
A paid Telegram group can be sold through an outside tool such as LaunchPass or InviteMember, while Telegram's own paid invite links are described for channels only. Groupanda builds paid plans into the private group itself, and members pay through Stripe. Telegram wins on reach, broadcast channels and calls, and both are free to use.
How do paid Telegram channels work?
Telegram has its own way to charge for access, and it is built for channels. Channel admins create an invite link that requires a monthly payment in Telegram Stars.
A paid invite link
In the channel settings, the admin creates a new invite link and switches on a monthly fee. Whoever pays through that link joins the channel.
Monthly, and nothing else
Telegram's developer documentation says one month is currently the only period allowed. The fee renews automatically from the member's Star balance.
Members pay in Stars
Members buy Stars first. Telegram's terms name in-app purchases in its iOS and Android apps, @PremiumBot, and its web and desktop apps, and say payment providers may add their own commissions.
A channel is a broadcast
Telegram describes channels as a tool for broadcasting to large audiences, and only admins post in them. A channel can add a discussion group. Subscribers then comment under its posts, and the comments also show up in that group.
Are there paid Telegram groups?
Yes, through other routes. The Telegram pages we read describe paid invite links for channels, and none of them describes one for a group.
What Telegram offers groups instead
A group owner can charge Stars for every message members send, and admins can be exempted. Telegram says the owner receives 85% of those Stars. It is a fee per message, not a price for joining.
What outside tools do
LaunchPass says it charges for access to groups and channels on Telegram, with Stripe, cards, Apple Pay, Google Pay and cryptocurrencies. InviteMember gives you a hosted membership page and a membership bot, and sells access to Telegram channels and groups. Both are separate services with their own pricing.
LaunchPass says you keep what is left after its fees and Stripe's. InviteMember prices its plans by your monthly sales. Billed monthly, they run from $19 for sales up to $500 a month to $1,499 with no sales limit.
How do you get paid from a Telegram channel?
Telegram: Stars in the channel balance, then rewards through Fragment
Stars from a paid link go to the channel's balance. Telegram's terms for channel owners call that balance an indicative amount of the rewards you may receive. Its terms say Star balance rewards require 21 days before they can be withdrawn. Telegram outsources the processing of these rewards to Fragment, which sends them to a TON wallet you name.
Telegram sets the value of a Star at its own discretion, and its terms say Fragment may be unable to issue rewards in certain countries.
Groupanda: a 6% platform fee, and nothing added to the price
The member pays the price you set. Out of that payment, Groupanda keeps a 6% platform fee. Stripe's processing fee is deducted from your payout. Nothing is added on top of what the member pays. Stripe Connect pays out to the United States, the United Kingdom, the European Union, Norway, Liechtenstein, Canada, and Switzerland. Payments land in the Stripe account you set up, and payouts follow Stripe's schedule.
We do not print a processing rate here, because Stripe charges by card type and currency, so any single number would be wrong for someone.
Groupanda and Telegram, row by row
Every row is a fact, not a claim, and the rows Telegram wins are in the table too. Sources and dates are under it.
| What you are comparing | Groupanda | Telegram |
|---|---|---|
| How paid access works | The member buys a plan, and the plan opens its channels. Access opens with the payment. A monthly subscription ends when its paid period runs out, and a one-time payment has no renewal date. | For channels, an invite link with a monthly fee in Telegram Stars. Telegram's pages do not describe paid links for groups. |
| Paid plans | Free channels and up to 5 plans, side by side, in the same group. Each plan is a monthly subscription or a one-time payment with no renewal date. | A monthly fee per paid link. One month is currently the only period allowed. |
| What members pay with | Stripe Checkout in the browser. The iOS and Android apps send members there. | Telegram Stars, bought through in-app purchases in Telegram's iOS and Android apps, through @PremiumBot, or in its web and desktop apps. |
| Platform fee | 6% of each payment, subscription or one-time. | The pages we read give no percentage for paid links. Telegram sets the value of a Star at its own discretion. |
| Payment processing | Stripe's fee, deducted from your payout. It depends on card and currency, so there is no single number to quote. | Stars are bought through app stores and other payment providers, which may add their own commissions. |
| Getting the money out | Members' payments land in the group owner's own Stripe account. Payouts follow Stripe's schedule. | Star rewards, which Telegram's terms say require 21 days before withdrawal, processed by Fragment and sent to a TON wallet. |
| Where the owner can be | Anywhere Stripe Connect pays out: US, UK, European Union, Norway, Liechtenstein, Canada, Switzerland. | Telegram says Fragment may be unable to issue rewards in certain countries. Its terms name none. |
| Group size | Free, with no member limit. | Free. Groups hold up to 200,000 members, and a channel can have unlimited subscribers. |
| Broadcasting | An Announcements channel in every new group, where only the owner posts at the start. | Channels broadcast to an unlimited number of subscribers, and only admins post. Telegram wins this row. |
| Channels, topics and search | Real-time chat in channels. Reply with a quote, and search messages within a channel. No threads. | Groups can be split into topics, each with its own history, and one search box finds chats and messages. Telegram wins this row. |
| Roles and permissions | Owner, admins and members. Each channel is open to every member or limited to the plans you choose, and you choose who can post in it. | Admin privileges set one by one, and default permissions for all members. Telegram wins this row. |
| Calls and live video | None: no calls, video or screen share. Messages carry text, photos, documents and voice messages. | Group calls with up to 200 participants, voice chats in any group, and live streams in channels. Telegram wins this row. |
| Files | Photos (up to 10 per message), documents up to 10 MB, voice messages up to 2 minutes. | Files of any type, up to 2 GB each, or 4 GB with Premium. Telegram wins this row. |
| Being found by strangers | Open groups are listed in Groupanda search. Groups joined by invitation or after approval are not. Only members see the conversations. | Anyone can join a public group or channel, and public channels can be found in Telegram search. A private channel needs an invite link or the owner adding you. |
| Bots and integrations | None. | Bots made by outside developers with the Telegram Bot API. Telegram wins this row. |
| Apps | Web, iOS, Android. | iOS, Android, macOS, a desktop app for Windows, macOS and Linux, and Telegram Web. Telegram wins this row on desktop. |
Both columns are dated. The Telegram column comes from the pages below. Each line carries two dates: the date the page carries, on the page or in its metadata, or a note that it has none, and the day we read it. We read the pages on 28 and 29 September 2026, and the Telegram FAQ, Channels FAQ, Group Chats on Telegram and Telegram Channels again on 30 September 2026. We read the English version of every Telegram page. The Groupanda column describes Groupanda on 29 September 2026. When either side changes, the date on this page changes with it.
Sources
- Telegram, FAQGroup size, public groups, calls and voice chats, topics, search, admins, files, apps and bots. No publication or update date on the page or in its metadata. Read 28 and 30 September 2026.
- Telegram, Channels FAQChannels as broadcasts, public channels in search, private channels, discussion groups. No publication or update date on the page or in its metadata. Read 28 and 30 September 2026.
- Telegram, Group Chats on TelegramUp to 200,000 members per group. Page metadata says published 29 January 2018. Read 28 and 30 September 2026.
- Telegram, Telegram ChannelsUnlimited subscribers, and only admins post. Page metadata says published 29 January 2018. Read 28 and 30 September 2026.
- Telegram, Super Channels, Star Reactions and SubscriptionsPaid invite links for channels, monthly in Telegram Stars, and where to create one. Published 14 August 2024. Read 28 September 2026.
- Telegram, Star Messages, Gateway 2.0 and MoreCharging Stars for messages in groups. Published 7 March 2025. Read 28 September 2026.
- Telegram, Press InfoPassed 1 billion monthly active users in 2025. No date on the page. Read 29 September 2026.
- Telegram, Star subscriptionsPaid invite links, one month as the only period, automatic renewal, Stars to the channel balance. No date on the page. Read 28 September 2026.
- Telegram, Telegram StarsWithdrawal through Fragment to a TON wallet. No date on the page. Read 28 September 2026.
- Telegram, Terms of Service for Telegram StarsHow Stars are bought, payment providers' commissions, and the 85% on messaging fees. No date on the page. Read 28 September 2026.
- Telegram, Terms of Service for Content Creator RewardsThe balance, the 21 days, the value of a Star and Fragment. No date on the page. Read 28 September 2026.
- LaunchPass, TelegramPaid access to Telegram groups and channels, payment options and fees. Page metadata says modified 24 April 2025. Read 28 September 2026.
- InviteMember, home pageMembership page and bot, and access to Telegram channels and groups. No date on the page. Read 28 September 2026.
- InviteMember, PricingPlans by monthly sales, $19 to $1,499 a month billed monthly. No date on the page. Read 29 September 2026.
When Telegram is the better choice
Telegram is the right home for plenty of groups, and a comparison that hides that is not worth reading. Stay on Telegram if any of this describes you.
- Your members are already on Telegram. Telegram says it passed 1 billion monthly active users in 2025, and public channels can be found in its search.
- You mostly broadcast to a large audience, and a channel with unlimited subscribers fits that better than a group.
- You meet in voice chats, group calls or live streams.
- You rely on topics, large files, bots, or a desktop app.
- A monthly paid channel in Stars is enough, and your members already buy Stars.
Groupanda earns its place when the group is private, members pay for access to the conversation itself, and you want billing built into the same workspace.
A paid Discord server is compared with Groupanda row by row on its own page. For more tools side by side, Telegram included, see the lists of Discord alternatives for private communities and alternatives to Facebook Groups.
What does Groupanda cost?
Groupanda is free to use, with no member limit. On a paid group the member pays the price you set. Out of that payment, Groupanda keeps a 6% platform fee. Stripe's processing fee is deducted from your payout. Nothing is added on top of what the member pays. Stripe Connect pays out to the United States, the United Kingdom, the European Union, Norway, Liechtenstein, Canada, and Switzerland.
Questions people ask about paid Telegram groups
Are there paid Telegram groups?
Yes. LaunchPass and InviteMember, two outside tools, both say they sell access to Telegram groups and channels. Telegram's own paid invite links, with a monthly fee in Telegram Stars, are described for channels. The Telegram pages we read on 28 September 2026 describe none for groups.
How do paid Telegram channels work?
A channel admin creates an invite link that requires a monthly payment in Telegram Stars. Members pay from their Star balance, and the fee renews each month. The Stars go to the channel's balance. Telegram's terms say Star balance rewards require 21 days before they can be withdrawn, through Fragment.
What does Groupanda cost compared with Telegram?
Groupanda is free with no member limit, and Telegram is free too. On a paid group the member pays the price you set. Out of that payment, Groupanda keeps a 6% platform fee. Stripe's processing fee is deducted from your payout. Nothing is added on top of what the member pays. Stripe Connect pays out to the United States, the United Kingdom, the European Union, Norway, Liechtenstein, Canada, and Switzerland.
Can I move a Telegram group to Groupanda?
Yes. Create the workspace, rebuild the channels you actually use, invite the members with the group's invite link, and switch on paid access when you are ready. There is no import tool, so it helps to run both for a few weeks while the group settles.
When is Telegram still the better choice?
When your members are already on Telegram, when you mostly broadcast to a large audience, or when you meet in calls and voice chats. Also when you need topics, large files, bots or a desktop app. Those rows are in the table above, and Telegram wins them.
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Run the group and the membership in one place
Create a workspace, invite your members, and turn on paid access when you are ready. Nothing to install, and no card needed to start.